A major police search is underway for a 20-year-old prisoner described as “extremely dangerous” after he absconded from a west London hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Daniel Boakye, who was being held at HMP Feltham, managed to flee from West Middlesex Hospital while under escort from the young offenders institution.
He is serving a six-year sentence for a series of knifepoint cryptocurrency thefts, is believed to have gang affiliations and a history of violence.
Staff at Feltham were informed of the incident via email at 8am this morning.
Boakye was among four teenagers convicted in 2023 following a series of armed robberies targeting cryptocurrency holders across London.
The gang, which included Justin Popoola, Nathan Mohalland and a 17-year-old, carried out their crimes between June 2021 and January 2022.
Victims were threatened at knifepoint and forced to surrender their mobile phones along with the passcodes required to access them.
The group then transferred victims’ digital currency into their own accounts, stealing more than £155,000 in total.
Boakye was being held at HMP Feltham
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Boakye, from Enfield in north London, received a sentence of six years and five months at Wood Green Court after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery.
A source familiar with the situation described Boakye as a serious threat, saying: “Although he is only in for robbery, Boakye is extremely dangerous and has links to serious gang members.”
The source explained that prisoners in such circumstances would typically be handcuffed to a guard at all times, adding: “The fear is that an officer has made a mistake and un-cuffed him for some reason.”
The source also noted: “He has a history of having, or pretending to have, seizures so that could be why he was at the hospital.
According to the source, Boakye has displayed extreme violence during his time at Feltham, stating: “He has attacked staff and other inmates and mixed with other gang members inside. He is also a drill rapper who boasts about violence in his lyrics.”
Boakye is understood to have connections to OFB, or Original Farm Boys, a gang based around the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham, per The Sun.
The source added: “The only person who should take a decision to un-cuff him is a duty governor and it looks like that won’t have happened here.”
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